Climate Change

On Jupiter?

For about 300 years Jupiter's banded atmosphere has shown a remarkable feature to telescopic viewers, a large swirling storm system known as The Great Red Spot. In 2006, another red storm system appeared, actually seen to form as smaller whitish oval-shaped storms merged and then developed the curious reddish hue. Now, Jupiter has a third red spot, again produced from a smaller whitish storm. All three are seen in this image made from data recorded on May 9 and 10 with the Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. The spots extend above the surrounding clouds and their red color may be due to deeper material dredged up by the storms and exposed to ultraviolet light, but the exact chemical process is still unknown. For scale, the Great Red Spot has almost twice the diameter of planet Earth, making both new spots less than one Earth-diameter across. The newest red spot is on the far left (west), along the same band of clouds as the Great Red Spot and is drifting toward it. If the motion continues, the new spot will encounter the much larger storm system in August. Jupiter's recent outbreak of red spots is likely related to large scale climate change as the gas giant planet is getting warmer near the equator*

I'm sure it's just a product of an irregular orbit and not anything that has anything to do with the sun or it's effect on climate. Just ignore the 300 years of observation versus a 12 year orbit. Ignore any effect on Mars too.

We simply can't let anything get in the way of the government forcing us to change our lightbulbs.

This article goes into more detail and suggests the climate change on Jupiter is just a natural cycle. Clearly, there are no natural cycles on Earth. Bring on the mercury bulbs.

*From NASA's website: Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.

Email You Want

A friend sent me this site, DailyLit.com, which offers books in your email inbox. It's simple enough, you sign up for the book you want to read and they'll send a bite-sized chunks which take about 3 minutes to read. Right now I'm reading some Nietzsche (this system works particularly well for most German philosophers as the short excerpts are easy to consume and are bereft of meaning) and taking the refresher course in Spanish (which I had to pay for but I figure will be necessary if Hillary or Barack or John McCain win the presidency, or if some of my relatives decide to visit).

You have a ton of options, many of them are free, including some "wikipedia tours." The Wikipedia tours offer selections from various categories of wikipedia articles. There is a tour on wine making, another on inventors. The one I'm trying out is the Greek Mythology tour. This system works well for me as I check my email about 3 times per day so I set up the books to arrive at different times of the day so I only have one email to read every time I sit down.

Having now done it for a couple of weeks I think it's a great way to increase the number of books you read in a year (and finally start to knock off those books you say you want to get to but never did because no one really wants to read Russian literature). Hopefully they keep expanding the number of available programs (like adding a beginners French and Latin) but for right now there's enough to get started.

With the large number of classics available it might even be a good way to cheat on the GBWW Ten Year Reading List and cut down some of the more boring selections that make the list a challenge.

Random Link o' the Day:

http://www.centennialbulb.org/

Irresistible Force versus Immovable Object

Dick Morris on the 2008 Presidential Campaign:

John McCain is America's favorite kind of candidate. With his record of extraordinary patriotism and his distinctive Senate tenure, McCain is a nominee whom voters from both parties -- and independents, too -- could easily support.

But he has been dealt a terrible hand: a tanking economy, an unpopular war, a Republican incumbent whose approval ratings are at their all-time low and a gloomy national mood, with 82 percent of Americans saying in a Washington Post-ABC News poll last week that the country is on the wrong track. Political scientists add all that up and predict that the Democrats are destined to win the White House. But I don't do political science; I do politics, and I'm convinced that McCain can still win -- if he's willing to follow the road map below.

McCain needs to not run as a traditional Republican, which is easy, since he's not one. After all, how did an anti-torture, anti-tobacco, pro-campaign finance reform, anti-pork, pro-alternative-energy Republican ever emerge from the primaries alive? Simple: The GOP electorate, along with the rest of the country, has moved somewhat to the left. (In Florida, for example, exit polls showed that only 27 percent of Republican primary voters described themselves as "very conservative," while 28 percent said they were "moderate" and 2 percent said they were "very liberal.")

Meanwhile, McCain's likely rival, Barack Obama, has raised such doubts among voters that their concerns momentarily energized even Hillary Rodham Clinton's sagging campaign. With the help of the incendiary comments of his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., Obama's negatives have been rising even as he nears the finish line.

Still, voters are tending heavily toward the Democratic Party. Normally, party preferences are about even, but recent national polls give Democrats a decided edge. In last week's Post-ABC poll, 53 percent of Americans identified themselves as Democrats or leaned toward the party, compared with 39 percent who were Republicans or tilted to the GOP.

To sum it up: A candidate who cannot get elected is being nominated by a party that cannot be defeated, while a candidate who is eminently electable is running as the nominee of a party doomed to defeat.

It was clear from the very beginning of this race that John McCain was the GOP's only hope for winning the White House. We're quite fortunate he's our candidate, as much as conservatives lament the pick. You have to balance principles with practical politics.

If nothing else, this campaign should be entertaining. Senator Pretty Face versus Senator Grit.

Me and John McCain

Got a hit from the Republican Party of Minnesota on the blog yesterday:

IP Address: 204.73.177.# (Republican Party of MN)
Referring URL: Google Search Martin Andrade + Ron Paul

Okay, for the last time, I endorsed John McCain a long time ago. I was supporting McCain when it looked like his campaign was over. I was rooting for McCain long before Ron Carey endorsed Mike Huckabee. McCain was my guy at the Seventh District Convention even as I was defending the Ron Paul supporters. Yes, I like Ron Paul. I even voted for a Ron Paul delegate to be an alternate to the National Convention at the 7th district convention.

The reason for this was simple, I only voted for delegates who supported John McCain from the very beginning to be national delegates. There were only a few candidates for national delegate who supported McCain from the beginning. After I voted for them, my choices were to either vote for people who were forced to change their allegiances because of the results of primaries in other states or to vote for some Ron Paul supporters.

So I split my vote. I voted for a few disingenuous partisan hacks, some Ron Paul people, one really funny old lady (she had the entire convention floor laughing) and the two people who admitted to being John McCain supporters from the very beginning (before McCain was the presumptive nominee).

I agree with Ron Paul on most issues, the big one we disagree on is the War in Iraq, I think we should finish the job and he wants to cut and run. I will admit I think he's right in one regard, conservatives used to view foreign wars with great skepticism. Now conservatives understand the dangers of non-interventionism, avoiding the world doesn't work. But I'll admit there's room to disagree.

What I don't believe is that somehow being a Ron Paul supporter means you're out to destroy the Republican Party. There's nothing to fear from Ron Paul people and I'm happy to embrace them into the MNGOP. What I do fear is the MNGOP becoming the party of backroom deals and blatant cronyism. Anyone who's interested in why I support John McCain and did from the beginning of the campaign can go check out the numerous articles I've written on the subject.

As it is, I'll be at the State Convention in Rochester and I'll be supporting the rights of the state delegates to freely choose whomever they please to be elected as national delegates, alternates and electors.

Christian Socialists

Again

"I think a lot of Christians are having trouble getting behind everything the Republicans stand for," said Dudley, 20, a sophomore at Seattle Pacific University.

Dudley's disenchantment with the GOP isn't unique among young, devoutly Christian voters. According to a September 2007 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 15 percent of white evangelicals between 18 and 29, a group traditionally a shoo-in for the GOP, say they no longer identify with the Republican Party. Older evangelicals are also questioning their traditional allegiance, but not at the same rate.

...

Claiborne has traveled around the country the past several years, speaking and preaching mostly to college-age Christians who are "both socially conservative and globally aware." That makes them disenchanted with both major parties, he said.

"It's not about liberal or conservative, or Democrats or Republicans," he said. "I don't think it's a new evangelical left. ... There's a new evangelical stuck-in-the-middle."

UW communications professor David Domke said some young evangelicals are breaking with the GOP for the same reasons many people broke from the party in the 2006 legislative elections — the unpopular war in Iraq; the Bush administration's abysmal approval ratings; or, now, because of the tanking economy.

...

Polls have shown that young Christians aren't any less concerned about the "family values" issues that have traditionally driven Christians to the Republican camp. (In fact, a study by the Barna Group, an evangelical polling organization, shows young Christians are actually more conservative on abortion than their elders.) It's just that they're also concerned about issues such as social justice and immigration, issues traditionally associated with Democrats.

Judy Naegeli, 25, who works at a Christian philanthropy, says easy access to information about the world via social-networking sites, YouTube and blogs is the reason her generation is more concerned with social justice.

"It's changed our perspective. ... Each generation chooses their cause, and ours is AIDs in Africa, or poverty or social justice," she said.

Tyler Braun, 23, a Portland seminary student who opposes abortion and gay rights, said he'll probably vote for Obama because, since he'd would like to see U.S. troops leave Iraq.

Concerns over losing the Evangelical vote are among the chief reasons I support Mike Huckabee for the VP spot. However, tackling a Christian assualt on capitalism is going to take a lot more work. It's a battle that's been raging in the Catholic Church for a long time.

Ignorance, Oil and Jihad

The AP Factchecks the dems over oil, hilarity ensues.

Jonah Goldberg addresses the issue of nuclear power and Jihad.

King bores us with logic regarding oil prices.

Some BioTech Stocks that Caught my Eye

PRX: A generic pharmacuetical on the way up

CPTS: Makes a permanent contraceptive, just approved in Calif. Like the idea long term

VITL: big product line involving sleep disorders

Some non-biotech stocks

SAM: down on recall

SMBL: They make that fake butter

AOI: They're involved internationally in tobacco.

Twins Weekly Roundtable

At least, virtual roundtable. I and bunch of other Bleacher Report writers give our various opinions regarding some happenings in Twins baseball over the last week.

Wednesday Heroes

Sgt. John F. Thomas(Right) & Sgt. Ronnie L. Shelley, Sr.(Left)
33 & 34 years old from Valdosta, Georgia
2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard
July 24, 2005 & July 30, 2005


Sgt. Ronnie "Rod" Shelley and Sgt. John F. Thomas became best friends in the Georgia Army National Guard.

They both were ex-Marines, both about the same age, and both enjoyed searching for arrowheads and fishing together. As their friendship grew, Thomas often came over to Shelley’s house for steaks and ribs barbecued by his friend. And when their infantry unit was sent to Iraq in May of 2005, they went to war together.

When their unit was mobilized for combat duty in Iraq, Shelley promised to watch out for Thomas. "Ronnie said, 'Don't you worry, I'll bring him back safely,"' said Thomas' grandfather. But neither Sgt. Thomas or Sgt. Shelley made it back safely. Sgt. Thomas was killed July 24, 2005 by a roadside bomb near Baghdad. And Sgt. Shelley was killed six days later on July 30 by another roadside bomb, also near Baghdad.

Shelley was a family man, married with three children, who was obsessed with having a neat yard, his wife said. "The grass had to be two inches," she said. "If the neighbor mowed the grass, Rod had to mow. He also wanted the biggest, baddest lawn mower."

She said she fell in love with his "gorgeous blue ... eyes," and "he had a laid back attitude. I could not make him mad."

Thomas was married but had no children. His grandparents said he dreamed of becoming a forest ranger. "John wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. Now the only trail he can walk is the trail in heaven," the grandfather said.

Mrs. Thomas, wiping back tears, said the soldier felt responsible for the others in his unit. "He cared for people," she said. "That's why he had so many friends. People cared for him."

Killed alongside Sgt. Shelley were Staff Sgt. David R. Jones Sr., Sgt. 1st Class Victor A. Anderson and Sgt. Jonathon C. Haggin and killed alongside Sgt. Thomas were Army Spc. Jacques E. Brunson, Army Staff Sgt. Carl R. Fuller and Army Sgt. James O. Kinlow.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Heroes are written by Indian Chris as part of a non-partisan effort to recognize the bravery of our men in uniform.

Others Participating in the Wednesday Hero effort:

CNBC Portfolio Stuff

SOLF, I still think there's some upside. And Evergreen Solar. I might even own one or two of these stocks. Might.

Dumbest Stock Pick

Of the year: KRY

Re: Global Warming

Not only have we been asked to ignore a ten-year downtrend in temperature and the recent coldspell, we are now being asked to put our disbeleif on hold for another ten years.

Global warming is taking a break that could last for another 10 years or so.

That's the latest word from a team of climate researchers in Germany. Global average temperatures should remain above normal, the team suggests. But additional warming – already on hold over the first seven years of this decade – is likely to remain that way for another decade. The reason? The team says it expects natural shifts in ocean circulation to affect temperatures in ways that temporarily out-wrestle the effects of rising greenhouse-gas emissions.

The forecast is "very bold," cautions Tom Delworth, a scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Princeton University. But, he adds, it represents the cutting edge of climate modeling. The German effort is one of the first widely published attempts to offer climate forecasts on time scales of a decade or so, rather than a century or more. The findings appear in Thursday's edition of Nature

You know, it's asking a lot. That's all I'm saying.

Random Link o' the Day:

http://dailylit.com/

I Hate to Admit It...

But I have enjoyed perusing the Tranformers wiki. The really sad part, I was never in to Transformers growing up.

Random Link o' the Day:

http://www.bachelorium.com/

Baseball Column

I read through and reviewed Chris Coste's book "The 33 Year Old Rookie" at the Bleacher Report. The book is excellent (and, at least according to Coste, it's not ghost written, which is even more impressive).

So, You Want Some Bad News?

GOP can't rely on the South in the upcomin':

...in Southern states with large black populations, like Alabama, Mississippi and Virginia, an energized black electorate could create a countervailing force, particularly if conservative white voters choose not to flock to Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee. Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University in Atlanta, predicts “the largest black turnout in the history of the United States” this fall if Mr. Obama is the nominee.

To hold these states, Republicans may have to work harder than ever. Already, turnout in Democratic primaries this year has substantially exceeded Republican turnout in states like Arkansas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Some analysts suggest that North Carolina and Virginia may even be within reach for the Democratic nominee, and they point to the surprising result in a Congressional special election in Mississippi this week as an indicator of things to come.

This is a product of identity politics and there's not much the GOP can do. Cracking the Democrat voting blocs will take a long time. The key in the south will be GOP base voter turnout. Winning blue collar moderates will also help.

And the GOP can't rely on rural voters:

Overwhelming support in the nation's least populated counties was key to Republican victories in the last two presidential elections. But a new bipartisan survey indicates rural voters are not so reliably Republican in 2008.

The poll indicates that Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, cannot count on rural voters to provide him a winning margin in the November presidential election. Double-digit margins in places beyond cities and suburbs are credited with giving President George W. Bush his margins of victory in 2000 and 2004.

For rural Americans the issue of the day will be the economy. This hurts as we have very little actual control over the economy (and even now the government is taking drastic steps in intervening in the economy to prevent more "damage" so artificially creating a good economy is out. We're doing all that is possible but it may be an impossibility to create a fantastic rural economy by fiat).

A solid VP choice for McCain, someone with good economic credentials, could do some good here. The GOP might get helped by the "wedge issues" coming out of the courts (same-sex marriage) but I doubt it. My guess would be the only way to get rural voters to not vote their pocketbook will be to convince them the world at large, terrorism, Iran, oil, Iraq are more important to their livelihoods than some government subsidy program Obama is promising.

We're just going to have to get lucky. There are going to need to be clear, understandable, and irrefutable positive economic trends between now and November.

Well, this might actually happen:



Of course, you have to trust that the unlikeliness of a recession means an inverse probability of a bull market. Personally, I trust in chickenbones and the political calculations guys.

The path to 270 is pretty well set. McCain and Obama both have good ideas on what states need to go which way. Obama basically has a baseline of 255 electoral votes.How voters in Ohio and Missouri feel will be the leading indicators of who will win in 2008. Only McCain's intimate campaign style and annoying moderateness stand between the GOP and total defeat.

Random Link o' the Day:

http://www.checkmylake.org/lake/

Murphy's Law

Get it straight:

Major Murphy created Murphy's Law:

"If there's more than one way to do a job, and one of those ways will result in disaster, then somebody will do it that way."

Finagle's Law is similar (but not the same):

Anything that can go wrong, will—at the worst possible moment

And Hanlon's Razor is a corollary to Finagle's Law:

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."

Those in business, the contruction trade, or politics should take careful note.

Homeschoolers

On the defensive in California:

Homeschooling parent Debbie Schwarzer of Los Altos said she's ready for a fight.

Schwarzer runs Oak Hill Academy out of her Santa Clara County home. It is a state-registered private school with two students, she said, noting they are her own children, ages 10 and 12. She does not have a teaching credential, but she does have a law degree.

"I'm kind of hoping some truancy officer shows up on my doorstep," she said. "I'm ready. I have damn good arguments."

She opted to teach her children at home to better meet their needs.

The ruling, Schwarzer said, "stinks."

Since I Brought It Up

Neville Chamberlain, 1938:

"We, the German Führer and Chancellor, and the British Prime Minister, have had a further meeting today and are agreed in recognizing that the question of Anglo-German relations is of the first importance for our two countries and for Europe.
We regard the agreement signed last night and the Anglo-German Naval Agreement as symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again. We are resolved that the method of consultation shall be the method adopted to deal with any other questions that may concern our two countries, and we are determined to continue our efforts to remove possible sources of difference, and thus to contribute to assure the peace of Europe."

Chamberlain read the above statement in front of 10 Downing St. and said:

"My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour.
I believe it is peace for our time...
Go home and get a nice quiet sleep."

I kinda like that, "Obama '08: 'Peace in our Time'"

Academic Freedom

Indoctrinate U is now available for purchse in DVD or download forms.

It's a fun documentary on the leftwing shenanigans goings ons on college campuses.

Appeasement

Conservatives have long struggled to balance our general attitudes opposing foreign entanglement with our knowledge of what evil is capable of. A good historical example comes from our friends across the pond. Few Americans know this (at least the ones I spend time talking to), but Neville Chamberlain and Winston Churchill were both conservatives. Churchill had this to say about Chamberlain after his death in 1940:

It fell to Neville Chamberlain in one of the supreme crises of the world to be contradicted by events, to be disappointed in his hopes, and to be deceived and cheated by a wicked man. But what were these hopes in which he was disappointed? What were these wishes in which he was frustrated? What was that faith that was abused? They were surely among the most noble and benevolent instincts of the human heart-the love of peace, the toil for peace, the strife for peace, the pursuit of peace, even at great peril, and certainly to the utter disdain of popularity or clamour. Whatever else history may or may not say about these terrible, tremendous years, we can be sure that Neville Chamberlain acted with perfect sincerity according to his lights and strove to the utmost of his capacity and authority, which were powerful, to save the world from the awful, devastating struggle in which we are now engaged. This alone will stand him in good stead as far as what is called the verdict of history is concerned.

Conservatism is at its heart pragmatic. If war can be avoided by words, great. Historically, it rarely is. Another bit of historical pragmatism conservatives carry is the fact a toothless diplomacy is just a dog and pony show. To make a difference there needs to be a real threat of force, else you might as well save your breath. Diplomacy is not as simple as erudition.

Naivete is dangerous when it comes to dealing with the world. A lack of seriousness regarding Islamic fundamentalism ended in disaster (of all our stupid failings, 9-11 ranks high. The WTC was attacked previously and our inability to notice the growing threat ranks high on the list of "bleep we should have taken more seriously"). Americans are relatively secure even considering terrorism, but abroad millions of people are at risk, everyday.

So, when I watched President Bush speak to the Knesset (only after hearing Hillary, Pelosi and Obama complain about the remarks) I was dumbstruck by how utterly absurd the criticisms regarding the speech were.

I have a hard time believing Obama (or Hillary) (or Democrats as a whole) take the threats in the world at-large seriously. I can only hope beneath the pretty words and trusting tones is the heart and soul of a skeptic.

Random Link o' the day:

www.windjammer-arts.com

Do I Believe in Global Warming?

I believe in something.

CNBC Challenge Update

Most of my stocks were still up, looks like a couple were victims of profit taking. My portfolios are all still up, but my top portfolio fill in its ranking (from the top 6,000s to the 18k).

Stupid stock pick: RAME

What's really funny, the stocks which are down the most are also the stocks I have put my own money into.

Talk on Academic Freedom

The distinguished Dr. Alan Charles Kors gave a truly remarkable speech at the Mont Pelerin Society meeting in Guatemala last November. As a professor at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), he spoke about the outrageous abuses of the left on American college campuses. His dramatic speech set the large conference on its ear.

Dr. Kors has graciously accepted an invitation to deliver this speech again, this time at the Leadership Institute, and to allow the Institute to record his powerful speech. The Leadership Institute’s Campus Leadership Program is now distributing his speech on-line and on DVD.

Video available here.

There are a lot of people who have no idea what's going on at college campuses, it's important to spread the word.

Random Link o' the Day:

coolspotters.com

Baseball Column

I, and a bunch of other Twins writers at the Bleacher Report, give opinions on the Twins minor league system here. Thanks to A. Kneeland for putting it together.

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Cindy

Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila
From Sierra Vista, Arizona


On the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States, Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila raised an American flag over Camp Korean Village, Iraq, he brought with him from Arizona.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Sierra Vista firefighter and emergency medical technician Chris Davila presented that flag to Fire Chief Randy Redmond as fellow firefighters looked on. Monday, May 5, 2008, was Davila’s first day back on the job with the department after being gone for nearly nine months, with seven of those months deployed as a Navy Reserve corpsman serving with a Marine unit near the Jordanian and Syrian border area in Iraq.

And, as luck would have it, on his first shift saw him responding to a blaze in Sierra Vista. "Right back to work," he said with a laugh.

You can read the rest of PO 2nd Class Davila's story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Heroes are written by Indian Chris as part of a non-partisan effort to recognize the bravery of our men in uniform.

Others Participating in the Wednesday Hero effort:

CNBC Contest

Ha, one of my portfolios is up almost 4% (that's a pretty good day) BQI was the top stock from that particular portfolio. SF and COGT are responsible for bringing down one of my other portfolios, which went down in value .6%. Not bad considering the Nasdaq was up .27%, Dow was down .34% and the S&P 500 was down .004%. On the whole (adding all five portfolios together) I was up 1.12%.

Before making any moves I want to see how my stocks do on an up day (stocks that go down on a day when the markets are up are normally something to get rid of).

Another stupid Stock Pick: DHT

They Actually Flew?

Ornithopter:

In 1929, a man-powered ornithopter designed by Alexander Lippisch flew a distance of 250 to 300 meters after tow launch. The flight duration was necessarily short due to the limitations of human muscle power. Since a tow launch was used, some have questioned whether the aircraft was capable of sustained flight, however brief. Lippisch asserted that the aircraft was actually flying, not making an extended glide. Later tow-launched flights include Bedford Maule (1942), Emil Hartmann (1959), and Vladimir Toporov (1993). All faced similar limitations due to the reliance on human muscle power.

In 1942, Adalbert Schmid flew a motorized, manned ornithopter at Munich-Laim. It was driven by small flapping wings mounted at the sides of the fuselage, behind a larger fixed wing. Fitted with a 3 hp Sachs motorcycle engine, it made flights up to 15 minutes in duration. Schmid later constructed a 10 hp ornithopter based on the Grunau-Baby IIa sailplane, which was flown in 1947. The second aircraft had flapping outer wing panels. [1]

In 2005, Yves Rousseau was given the Paul Tissandier Diploma, awarded by the FAI for contributions to the field of aviation. Rousseau attempted his first human-muscle-powered flight with flapping wings in 1995. On 20 April 2006, at his 212th attempt, he succeeded in flying a distance of 64 metres, observed by officials of the Aero Club de France. Unfortunately, on his 213th flight attempt, a gust of wind led to a wing breaking up, causing the pilot to be gravely injured and rendered paraplegic.[2]

Seems like a lot of work and pain for something, er, weird.

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Challenge

Here are some more terrible stock pick ideas:

UTSI
CPST
RFMD
ETFC
RAD (seriously, I wouldn't touch this stock with your money)
SAM
BBI (I really don't like blockbuster either)

On the currencies side, my two choices (Chinese Yuan and the Indian Rupee) look to be unavailable, so I'm better the dollar (USD) against the euro and Canadian dollar (that is, I betting the USD goes up in value compared to those currencies). I might also play around with the Yen (but that's more of a crapshoot).

Remember, this is for entertainment purposes only.

Yeah...great...

...

Random Link o' the Day:

http://failblog.org/

CNBC Million Dollar Portfolio Contest

The Challenge starts today, register here. With money and prizes at stake it should be worth the effort to actively trade stocks. This year I'm adding a twist, I'm putting my own money into some of the stocks I'm using for the competition. Since I want to avoid any legal issues I won't actually say what stocks I have put my money into until after the fact.

CNBC has improved the contest with more prizes and it's limiting the number of portfolios you can have to five. (It might turn out it to be possible to get unlimited portfolios through some sort of rule loophole but I'm not doing that this year even if it becomes an option). CNBC is also adding some currencies market stuff. China, India are two places I'd look there (plus one or two I'm not going to mention publicly, yet).

I will finally say, don't take stock advice from a blogger who doesn't really care about his readers. That's just asking for disaster.

Remarkably stupid stock picks:

WSP Holdings Limited WH (7.48)
Oilsands Quest Inc. BQI (4.10)
Parker Drilling Company PKD (8.12)
Clean Energy Fuels Corp. CLNE (14.47)
Brooks Automation BRKS (10.02)
RealNetworks, Inc. RNWK (7.33)
Activision, Inc. ATVI (31.64)
Frontline FRO (61.07)

(FYI, I'm not even sure if all of these stocks will work for the competition)

Technology has been good lately, and oil is always popular. Also, it's earnings season which makes things more fun.

McCain going Populist

And there's nothing we can do about it, nor should we.